I apologize for starting my preseason rankings, getting catcher and 1B published, and then completely dropping off the face of the earth. Shit got hectic for a while, but all is now well.

Tonight is my big money league fantasy draft. I’ll be following this article up with a draft recap tomorrow, and then posting a weekly column every Sunday, recapping the previous week and forecasting the week ahead.

Hello, fellow fantasy nerds. Let’s get right to it, shall we? Below are my rankings for 1B. If you missed my catcher rankings, you can see them here. Please note that in this section, I am only including players who either played 1B as their PRIMARY position last year, or are expected to this year. I am not including players like Carlos Santana or Mark Reynolds. Read more of this post

So now that the Super Bowl is over, it’s time to turn our attention to baseball. Most MLB clubs have their starting lineups for the most part, and the only big name free agent still on the market is Roy Oswalt. That means its time for the most exciting part of the year (for nerds): FANTASY BASEBALL TIME! Read more of this post

24 year old right hander Mat Latos was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for: 1st baseman Yonder Alonso, right hander Edinson Volquez, and two well-regarded prospects, catcher Yasmani Grandal and right-hander Brad Boxberger.

Mat Latos is on his way to play for the Cincinnati Reds

It is the biggest trade by any team this off-season so far and is a huge deal for new Padres general manager Josh Byrnes. The Oakland A’s, Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays also are shopping high-end pitching this off-season.

The Reds gave up A LOT for Latos .He has the tools to be an ace, as evidenced by his 14 wins and 2.92 ERA for the Padres in 2010, when he was just 22. He had somewhat of a down year in 2011 with a 9-14 record, downturns in WHIP, strikeouts and walks.He also gained a reputation for occasional immature outbursts, which appeared not to bother Reds GM Walt Jocketty, who needed more pitching for the hitter friendly Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Jocketty cited Latos’ “97-mph fastball”, ability to pitch deep into games (he averaged 6 1/3 innings per start), and strikeout the reasons he parted with four of his players.

Yonder Alonso probably wouldn’t have seen a lot of playing time at the major league level due to the Reds first baseman Joey Votto and Grandal by Devin Mesoraco, a first-round draft pick four years ago who reached the majors last summer. Alonso now becomes the Padres first basemen. So sending him away wasn’t that bad of a move.

Prospect Yasmani Grandal is a switch-hitting catcher who is close to big-league ready and Boxberger has been a starter and reliever and projects for some as a closer.

The Padres added three young players with great potential. Three of the players the Padres acquired: Alonso, Grandal and Boxberger were first-round picks for the Reds. Along with Volquez, now three years removed from his 17-win season and a bit of a mystery, this blockbuster trade seems to have left both teams satisfied.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed the team’s pathetic financial situation on Sunday night. In admitting defeat on Reyes, he said the Mets had lost a staggering $70 million in 2011 alone.

New York is one of the biggest markets in baseball, and the Mets are taking $70 million losses? Something is very wrong….and has been for a long time.

Don’t get me wrong, the Mets involvement in Bernie Madoff’s ponzi-scheme did cause them to lose millions, but C’MON, they should be able to rebound! A boss can take a loss.

Jose Reyes laughed all the way to the bank this off-season: Miami. With a deal that could pay as much as $111 million including a buyout in 2018, the Marlins sealed the deal.

Jose Reyes’ defection to the Marlins is going to sting for a little. Even though he is an injury liability, his deflection is right up there with the trade that sent Tom Seaver to the Reds in 1977.

If MLB commissioner Bud Selig is interested in across-the-board fairness, he has to take a hard look at the Mets’ finances, the same way he did with Frank McCourt in L.A.

McCourt had to be squeezed out of the ownership circle for misuse of the Dodgers’ assets. Now it’s time for Selig to ask what happened to the $25 million loan that MLB floated the Mets in 2010, which has yet to be repaid. The money was supposed to keep the Mets relevant until they regained financial stability.

The Wilpons didn’t show much interest in retaining their star player. Mets fans are so frustrated with everything that has taken place in the past 10 years. Including the giant collapse of the team under Willie Randolph.

They’ve already lost 40 percent of the four million loyalists they drew in 2008. And with the likelihood of a last-place finish next summer, it’s possible the Mets will fail to attract two million fans for the first time since 1997.

The Wilpons owe $430 million in principal of a loan against the team, due in 2014. They owe $450 million in principal of a loan against SNY, due in 2015. They owe an estimated $600 million, due in $25 million increments every six months, on the ballpark.

It’s obvious the Mets are falling apart by the stitches. It’s time Selig steps in and does something, for the sake of baseball and all of the Mets’ fans. A New York market team should have money to blow. I’m not saying become like the Yankees and try to buy a championship, but at least get some talent that will win you ballgames consistently. Use the farm system.

The Miami Marlins whom are never spenders have taken one of those brand names off the list of the many free agents. Jose Reyes agreed to a deal said to be worth a possible $124 million over 7 years.

For the first 6 years Reyes will make a guaranteed $102 million and then the club can buy out the contract for $4 million or continue to pay Reyes the extra $22 million. Reyes is now 28 and will be just toward the end of his prime at the end of his contract (35 years old).

He is known to have injury problems, especially with his hamstrings. Reyes is a player who hits for average and likes to put the ball in play to use his speed. So if his hamstrings act the way they have in the past, I don’t see the Marlins not buying out the 7th year.

But now that Jose Reyes is on the team, whats the plan for the all-star shortstop Hanley Ramirez?

He could possibly move to third base due to the fact of their 2007 first round pick (12th overall), Matt Dominguez, has not had a promising season since play single A ball hitting .296/18 homers/ 70 RBI’s in 2007.

He has just been on a decline in the pre-season prospect rankings. They could move Hanley to center field and put Emilio Bonifacio to third base. My bet is that Hanley ends up pulling an Alex Rodriguez and moves from short-stop to third base.

There has been a lot of talk about which of the two all-star first basemen to sign to a long term big buck contract.

Prince Fielder is 27 and Albert Pujols is 31 years old. There is no debate as to which player is better, Albert Pujols has been one of the most if not the most consistent player in baseball for the past decade.

The debate is about the fact that Pujols is four years older than Fielder. You can easily say that Albert Pujols will last in the league longer due to the fact that he is in extraordinary shape where Fielder is not. Prince measures in at 5’11” and weighs in at 275.

Although Prince is athletic, his body will not be able to perform for the amount of years Pujols’s will. On top of that, Pujols is still not out of his prime.

Pujols is also the better defender by far with 2 gold gloves. If you give him a 7 or an 8 year deal you will have the best player in baseball for at least 3 of those years and a great player for the remaining years, if he remains healthy.

If you give Prince that contract, you might end up paying him to DH (if he signs with an American League team) towards the end of his contract. In my opinion, if I were an owner, I would not be upset bout signing one or the other, but you got to give the big bucks to Pujols.

Fielder has many possible and interested suitors for his services of hitting the long ball. The Blue Jays, Brewers, Cubs, Mariners, Marlins, Nationals, and Rangers all have interest in the big first baseman.

As much as I would like to see the Brewers re-sign Prince, I don’t think they will be able to pony up the doe for him. My two teams I believe are the best fits are the Rangers and Mariners. The Mariners haven’t had a big long ball hitter since Ken Griffey Jr. and are in the process of rebuilding and mainly around King Felix Hernandez.

He would be a great fit in the middle of that lineup and a great way to get the team in the playoff race.

If the Rangers sign Prince, they can almost guarantee themselves to not losing back to back to back World Series. They will be adding an all-star power hitter to one of the best and most dangerous offenses in the game.

I would put them as the favorite to win the 2012 World Series.

The Mariners and the Rangers would also be great fits due to the fact that he would be in the American League giving the team the option of putting him at DH to give him a break. I believe the Rangers will make a push towards the end and end up with the name Prince Fielder in the clean up spot protecting Josh Hamilton on their line-up card.

Albert Pujols has deserved a long-term contract along with a lot of money. I believe he will eventually end up re-signing with the St. Louis Cardinals after the meetings are over. They have to match anything that anyone offers him.

The Miami Marlins have shown that they are not afraid to spend money finally. These are my two biggest possibilities, but there are many other suitors that will spend the millions on the 3 time MVP.